Ex in "experience" means our experience is always an extraction from what is the subject of our experience. That is, the moment we interpret what we encounter, we have moved a step from it - it is not it. Appreciating this, we can better hold ourselves in intellectual humility, so be more respectful of the diversity of how people speak differently of the experience of One... Presence.
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He was confused about the Sage's tolerance toward his followers. He asked, "How is it possible, this tolerance of such apparently contradictory viewpoints?" The Sage said, "I see more than the apparent contradictions, I see through them."
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
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Harith the Bedouin and his wife Nafisa tented where they could find date palms, withered twigs for their camel, and a pool of brackish water. Daily, Harith trapped desert rats for hides and wove ropes. He sold his goods to passing caravans.
One day, a new stream gushed from the desert sands. Harith brought water to his lips, which seemed like the Water of Paradise. The water was much less murky than Nafisa and he were used to drinking. He thought, "I must have this water tasted by someone who can appreciate it."
Harith set off to Baghdad and the palace of Harun El-Rashid, only stopping to nibble on a few dates. He brought two jugs full of water: one for himself and one for the Caliph.
A few days later, Harith entered Baghdad and went straight to the palace. The guards listened to his story, and as was the custom, they admitted him to the Caliph's public hearing.
Commander of the believers," said Harith, "I'm but a poor Bedouin, and I know all the waters of the desert. Yet, I know very little of other things. I've just discovered this Water of Paradise, and I immediately thought of bringing it to you because, in truth, it's a gift worthy of you." Harun the Honest tasted the water and, because he understood his subjects, ordered the guards to accommodate the Bedouin and to hold him until he made his decision known.
Harun called the captain of the guards, saying, "What for us means nothing, for him means everything. At nightfall, lead him out of the building. Don't let him see the mighty Tigris; escort him up to his tent without allowing him to drink fresh water. Then, give him a thousand gold coins with my thanks for his services. Tell him I've appointed him Guardian of the Water of Paradise and that in my name, he shall offer it to all travelers."
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How do we, holding what we have experienced of the Sacred lightly, affirm what others experience of the Same? Their experience may, in our view, appear inferior to ours, while, to them, it might be just as precious.
To Harith, the water was the Water of Paradise - that was enough. No one needed to explain why that was not so. The Caliph accepted the gift of water as though it were what Harith had decided it was.
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As a chaplain, one of my roles is to honor other's experience of the Sacred - the church tried to set strict limits upon me in doing this, and I refused to comply. I am present to give input if asked to do so. Chaplaincy has provided a space wherein I can value the person more than the right-or-wrong of what they think or how they speak of the Sacred. Also, I can see that often, there is no right or wrong, only different ways to view and articulate the same experience. We name it differently, but It is not different. I can love the person through listening and honoring their sharing. I am not the truth policeperson.
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Harun cared more for Harith than the quality of the latter's insight into the water. Let us value others more than how they see or speak of anything. In doing this, we can express presence beyond attachment to the surface details of ideas and words. We can love regardless.
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A man joined a spirituality group I was facilitating. He angrily informed me, in front of everyone present, that he would not tolerate being in the group if persons were allowed to speak of God as Mother. He left soon. He excluded himself by not being willing to honor how diversely Spirit manifests.
Who needs to tell God how God can be for anyone else? What does it matter that one experiences God as Mother, another as Father? One prays God, one the Name, one Jehovah, and another Allah. The man who left valued his idea of God - possibly a deity with male genitals - more than respecting others' experience of the exact Sacred and respecting their right to speak of it as they chose.
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In generosity, sometimes we gift another to esteem their experience and knowing without trying to correct them or compare it to another experience. Anyway, the quality of any experience and, so, understanding of the Sacred is, to a degree, subjective, but that does not mean it is not valid. There is no right way to interpret such an experience, but there are many, many ways to do so.
Our interpretations and words about such holy encounters are shadows. Let us not value the shadows more than the Real. Let us not bring harm by intolerance of others' way of relating with and speaking of the Face of myriad faces.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2023. Permission given to use photographs and writings with credit given to copyright owner.
*Brian's book is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. The book is a collection of poems Brian wrote based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.
